Efficacy of atezolizumab combined with platinum and etoposide in the treatment of extrapulmonary neuroendocrine carcinoma

Title	Efficacy of atezolizumab combined with platinum and etoposide in the treatment of extrapulmonary neuroendocrine carcinoma
Authors	I-Wei Ho, Nai-Jung Chiang, Jiun-I Lai, Peter Mu-Hsin Chang, San-Chi Chen, Yi-Ping Hung, Ming-Huang Chen
Magazine	The Oncologist
Date	03/10/2025
DOI	10.1093/oncolo/oyae372
Introduction	Neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC) is a highly aggressive and poorly differentiated Grade 3 tumour, characterised by high nuclear and cellular atypia with Ki-67 indices exceeding 20%. While the majority of NEC cases arise in the lungs, extrapulmonary forms are less common and not as thoroughly researched. The standard treatment typically involves a combination of etoposide and platinum (EP) chemotherapy. This study, inspired by the IMpower133 trial, which demonstrated the survival benefits of adding atezolizumab to chemotherapy in extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer, investigates if similar outcomes can be achieved in extrapulmonary NEC. Conducted at Taipei Veterans General Hospital from January 2016 to June 2023, this retrospective cohort study compared the efficacy of adding atezolizumab to EP chemotherapy against EP alone in patients with extrapulmonary NEC. The study evaluated 56 patients, with 14 receiving the combination therapy and 42 receiving standard EP. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was found to be 5.2 months, and the median overall survival (OS) was 11.9 months across all participants. While no significant differences in OS or PFS were observed between the two groups, a higher response rate was noted in the atezolizumab group. Additionally, an elevated neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) above 3 was associated with poorer OS, highlighting it as a potential prognostic factor.
Quote	I-Wei Ho, Nai-Jung Chiang and Jiun-I Lai et al. Efficacy of atezolizumab combined with platinum and etoposide in the treatment of extrapulmonary neuroendocrine carcinoma. Oncologist. 2025. Vol. 30(3). DOI: 10.1093/oncolo/oyae372
Element	Platinum (Pt)
Industry	Pharmaceutical Industry